


April Fools

by atothej



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, April Fools' Day, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23436955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atothej/pseuds/atothej
Summary: It's April Fools' Day, okay--does it ever really go well for anybody? 'Cause it sure as hell never does for Bucky.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton
Comments: 9
Kudos: 65





	April Fools

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted to tumblr.

“I hate Mondays,” Bucky says as soon as he answers his phone, not even bothering with a greeting because at this point in their relationship, him and Clint are always picking up somewhere in the middle of a conversation anyway. **  
**

“Nine out of ten Garfields would not recommend,” Clint replies without pause, and Bucky can practically see him nodding his head all sagely as he does.

Bucky snorts indelicately and flops back onto his unmade, too-small bed. “Who’s the hold out, huh?”

“Retired Garfield,” Clint answers promptly. “Mondays don’t matter so much anymore once the days all start bleeding together.”

“Lucky bastard.”

They fall silent for a minute, except it’s not really silence when Bucky can hear Clint breathing on the other end of the line, it’s just the status quo for them now, counting the seconds between random topics to keep each other from hanging up so they can miss each other that much less.

“I take it your April Fools’ day was less than stellar,” Clint finally says, his voice going smooth and low with just a shade of sympathy.

Rather than respond, Bucky rolls over on the bed and yells into his flat pillow, idly noting that he needs to wash his sheets given how stale it smells.

“How many unfortunate pranks did you run afoul of this year?” Clint asks with a note of concern that Bucky knows is just for show because his asshole of a boyfriend lives to laugh at Bucky’s misery, and somehow, through the hellscape that is a long distance relationship, Bucky's even come to love that unfortunate aspect of Clint's personality.

“Just the two today miraculously, but the second one, _holy shit why_ ,” Bucky wails with an extra touch of theatricality just so he can tempt a laugh out of Clint, and Bucky has to bite back the ghost of a smile at the sound.

Gearing up to share the whole sordid tale with Clint, Bucky props himself up on his elbows. “You know that douche canoe from my lab–-” He’s cut off by a sudden knocking at his apartment door, and Bucky throws a confused look back over his shoulder in the general direction of the sound. “Who the hell…? Sorry, babe, someone’s at my door. Can you, uh, just a sec?”

“Oh! That’ll be the pizza I ordered you!” Clint exclaims happily. “Best cure for a case of the Mondays.”

“I’m sorry, did you confuse me with yourself or something?”

“No way, you’re way prettier than me,” Clint says, easy as you please, ‘cause there’s nothing they do better than lifting each other up at their own expense. “‘Sides, I ordered your pineapple monstrosity and everything. Do you know the absolute _shame_ I felt?” Clint complains, and Bucky knows the exact expression of anguish that goes with that particular whining tone, even though it’s been ages since he saw it in person, and how futzed up is it that that's enough to make his heart hurt to be going without? “I could feel my Dominos app judging me, Buck. Judging. Me.”

“ _Fuck_ , I miss you,” Bucky breathes out suddenly, like the confession’s been punched from his gut. He inhales shakily and continues after a moment, “Why did we ever think going to different schools was a good idea?”

Clint’s voice has gone soft and uncertain when he replies, trying to hit flippant but falling way short, “The endless optimism of youth?”

Bucky’s eyes fall closed, and he means to respond, to say something to lift the mood back to something where they can joke without the air surrounding them feeling too heavy for any of it to land, but another knock hits his door.

“Yeah, just a sec!” Bucky calls down what’s technically considered a hall here. “Shit, where’re my pants?” he mutters as he hops up off his bed and starts searching the floor.

Clint laughs, and it’s so unexpectedly light and happy that Bucky wishes he could record it to play back on the days when he spends hours counting down to a phone call. “What, you’re not gonna give the pizza guy a free show?”

“Hell no, these goods are all yours,” Bucky says with a sly smirk and a tad too much honesty.

“Mm, just the way I like ‘em,” Clint hums happily.

Bucky snags a pair of sweatpants off the floor as he grins into the phone, shoving it into the curve of his shoulder to hold while he jumps to get a leg in. “You’re such a fucking dork.”

“Hey, now! You started it!” Bucky makes it to the door and pulls the chain down, but when he swings the door open, Clint’s delighted laughter is all of a sudden in surround sound, and it takes Bucky a heart-stopping moment to realize he’s hearing an echo through the phone of what’s happening right in front of him, live and in too-bright color.

Bucky gapes at his smirking boyfriend, who’s standing on the other side of his door holding a stack of pizzas topped with a six-pack.

“April Fools’!” Clint crows, shoving his way inside and into Bucky because Bucky’s not entirely sure Clint won’t just pass right through him, so he doesn’t think to move back. Clint just keeps shuffling forward until Bucky’s crowded back against the little counter in his kitchen, and then Clint pushes in even further until their faces are mashed together in a sloppy kiss.

“That’s…not how this works,” Bucky says, dazed and glazed. “That’s not how any of this works.”

Clint dumps his pile of goodies on the counter so his arms are free to loop over Bucky’s shoulders. “I paid for the pizza, so the tip’s on you,” Clint mumbles against Bucky’s lips. “But if you don’t got any cash on you, I’m sure we could work something out.” He leans back so that he can inflict the full force of his waggling eyebrows on Bucky.

Bucky, though, he just scrambles to get a firm hold on the back of Clint’s hoodie and pulls Clint in as tight as they’ll go, bumping their foreheads together. “Are you gonna laugh at me if I admit I honestly just wanna cuddle you to death right now?”

Clint tilts his chin up so that he can kiss the tip of Bucky’s nose. “So long as we keep the pizza in easy reach, I’m all yours," Clint promises. "However you’ll have me.”

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr at [promptmewinterhawk](http://promptmewinterhawk.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
